


To Love and Cherish

by nhpw



Series: The Re-Education 'Verse [3]
Category: Tron: Legacy (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - BDSM, Dominance, Erotic Electrostimulation, M/M, Safewords, Submission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-21
Updated: 2015-09-21
Packaged: 2018-04-22 19:09:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4846940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nhpw/pseuds/nhpw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The morning after a scene where Sam safe-worded out, Alan debriefs Sam. Sam returns the favor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Love and Cherish

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Sarah, who asked why Alan - or any Dom(me) - would do such things to another person. I didn't quite answer her question, but I still like the way this story turned out. A bit of fluff within the bonds is always a nice touch.

Alan drew a deep breath, taking in the new day with his nose first of all. He relished in the feel of the sheets below him and above him, in the softness of the mattress and his pillow, and in the familiar press of the warm body curled around his back.

Saturday. Saturday was Alan’s favorite day, and this was Alan’s favorite time of his favorite day. He knew Sam was awake, just waiting… waiting for Alan’s word.

“Good morning, Sam.” He let the words trickle out of his mouth, soft and light on a smile, but he didn’t roll over, not yet.

“Good morning, Sir.” Sam’s tone was soft as well – contented. He let out a small sigh and Alan felt the other’s breath against his back like a summer breeze. The exhale was followed by a gentle press of lips to skin in nearly the same place.

“Mmmm.” Alan finally rolled over and opened his eyes, taking in the young man curled up beside him. He put a hand on Sam’s upper arm and stroked slowly while he studied those bright blue eyes. “How are you this morning, Love?”

“Sleepy,” Sam confessed.

“Mmhmmm. Sore?”

“A little.”

Alan leaned forward and gave Sam a gentle peck to his forehead. “Where?”

“Shoulders, mostly.”

Alan continued to move his hand up and down Sam’s bicep, lightly massaging the muscles there as he studied his young partner. Every day, he was amazed by Sam – by his willingness to explore new facets of their lifestyle, by the trust he placed in Alan to care for him and pleasure him alike, and by the person he was in general, submissiveness completely aside, as his personality – his true personality, when someone cared enough to see him become something better – came to light.

It had been Sam’s idea to play within the S&M side of their lifestyle’s moniker last night, to play with pain even though Sam had done nothing to earn himself a punishment. And Alan knew why.

To an extent, Sam enjoyed pain – though he’d never admit it to anyone other than Alan. It was one of the things they’d learned together, and Alan enjoyed exploring that side of Sam because, when it came down to it, strategically applied pain was tantamount to pleasure for the young Flynn. Alan was of the opinion that bringing one’s lover pleasure in whatever form he or she desired it was the goal of any physical relationship. He felt humbled, sometimes, that Sam felt so completely free to be open about his sexual desires with Alan, deep and dark as they might be.  

“All right,” Alan had agreed with a nod, and they’d retreated to the basement – “The Playroom” Sam had christened it in their first couple of weeks together, and Alan had chuckled then – it had been the first glimpse of Sam’s truly playful side, something Alan had come to love over the days, weeks, months...

_“All right. What did you have in mind?”_

_“Something new. Something different.”_

_The eagerness in Sam’s eyes was almost too much to bear. Alan tilted his head to the side and gave the request a moment’s thought._ New. Different. _He put his hands on his hips and looked around. “OK,” he said with a decisive nod. “Undress for me.”_

_He watched – he always watched – Sam undress, fold his clothing into a neat pile and present his body to Alan. Yes, this move was part of the discipline, but in the end they both knew that it was voluntary. Sam could say no. Sam could always say no. Sam could ask Alan simply to make love to him as a lover… but if he did, Sam wouldn’t be satisfied, and he wouldn’t feel whole._

_Alan led his naked lover to a familiar piece of furniture – it looked a bit like a chaise lounge, but had handcuffs where the hands and feet would be shackled – feet out in front, apart, at the bottom and hands up and stretched above the head. Alan felt Sam relax under his touch as he strapped Sam in and then moved away to remove his own shirt and grab his “something new.”_

_It wasn’t new to Alan. He was an expert in its use, but it was new to Sam. He’d been waiting for the right opportunity to roll it out, and tonight – with no plans for tomorrow and an entire evening to play – might just be the one._

_“This is what’s known as a TENS unit,” he told Sam as he efficiently gelled and affixed two patches with wires attached to them onto Sam’s nipples. The wires trailed to a little black box, which Alan held in his hand. “That stands for ‘transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.’ It has four leads,” he pointed to the patches, “which are used to deliver electrical current to parts of your body. When used correctly on low settings, it can be very pleasurable.” He coated the other two patches in conducive gel and placed one on Sam’s testicles, the other just below. “If turned up higher, it functions as a very effective punishment.” He felt Sam tremble under the touch of his fingers as he ghosted a hand over the young man’s groin. “Tonight, we’ll play with both.”_

The pain in Sam’s shoulders was likely because his arms had strained beyond their limits in response to both the low and high voltages – arching up in response to pleasure, accompanied by moans; arching back, trying to pull away and grasping at thin air, when the voltage was increased.

“Lie on your stomach,” Alan instructed now. Sam complied, and Alan left the bed briefly to retrieve a tube of massage oil from the top drawer of his dresser. He rubbed a little into his palms as he rejoined Sam on the bed, then positioned himself to Sam’s left and started gently kneading at his shoulder muscles. “Tell me what you liked about last night.”

Debriefing was necessary in their relationship, but Alan truly enjoyed it. He liked listening to Sam recount their sexual exploits, liked listening to the gentle rumble of the young man’s voice, but he also liked that when they talked about what they’d done, he almost always learned something new about Sam.

“I liked the lower voltage on my nipples,” Sam intoned, arching up into Alan’s therapeutic touch. “And even a little higher… Mmm…”

Alan filed that away for later use. “What about down below?”

“That was…”

“Honesty, Sam. If you didn’t like it, I need to know.”

“Yes Sir.” Alan slowed his hands and stared at the back of Sam’s head while the submissive took a moment to gather his thoughts. “It was fine at first, but when you turned it up, it… burned.”

Alan frowned and resumed massaging Sam’s muscles, taking more time and care than he had been before Sam had spoken those words. “I’m sorry.” And he really was. Nothing he ever did in play was meant to hurt Sam extensively. Sure, punishment pushed the envelope – but that was different, at least in Alan’s mind. He liked to play. He never liked to dish out punishment. No respectable Dom would. There was a line with masochists – a line that divided pleasurable pain and true pain. It was different for each person. Pinpointing that line, helping a sub explore his limits, was one of Alan’s favorite parts about his role, but it sometimes led to moments like this. “How long did you let it go before you ended it?”

Sam shrugged. “Thirty seconds, maybe.” Sam had used a safeword to indicate _too much, back off_ , and Alan had turned the TENS down immediately. “But I feel like I could’ve taken more on my nipples, that’s why I waited. To see… if…”

“Next time, tell me right away.” Alan sighed, trying not to let the disappointment overwhelm him or become apparent in his tone.

“Yes Sir. I’m sorry.”

If this had happened when their relationship was new, he would’ve punished Sam for withholding the truth. It was impossible to learn a sub’s limits if he didn’t make them known, and that was damaging to the relationship. But as it was… they’d been together for eight months, and though every scene was in itself a learning experience, Alan had lost his ruthless “training” edge months ago. Instead he said, “Maybe we could try the TENS on your nipples next time and vibrator in place of the other two patches?”

He knew Sam was smirking by his tone. “I think I’d like that very much.”

More info for his mental file. Alan nodded, considering the subject closed for now, unless Sam wanted to discuss it further. “Do you have any questions for me?”

“Just one.” Sam paused to gather his thoughts. “Why didn’t things work out between you and my dad?”

The change of subject jarred Alan so much that he stilled his hands on Sam’s back. His jaw fell open, and he was glad his sub was facing away from him, unable to see his expression of surprise. It was a momentary lapse in composure, and Alan would just as soon keep it to himself. “Well,” he said softly after a moment’s pause, “after your mother… passed away… his priorities changed. He had the same rights you do, and he chose to leave.”

“Did you love him?”

Had he? It was a tricky question, and Alan wasn’t sure it had a yes-or-no answer. “Not in the same way,” he responded, and now Sam chanced looking back over his shoulder at Alan, confusion creasing his brow. _With your dad, it was mostly about the sex._ But that was the wrong thing to say – not because of what it was, but because of who it was about. “Do you remember when we talked about how people get into this lifestyle for a lot of different reasons?”

“Yes Sir.”

“For your dad, it was always temporary, I think. He had a new wife, a new child, was the head of his company… it was a lot of stress. He came to me because it allowed him to surrender control for a little while – let me be in charge, make decisions. But it was always just part of his life; it was never his _whole_ life, the way it was for me. So in the long term… it could never have lasted. Back then, I wanted the control too much.” He swallowed hard. He still enjoyed the control, and he had an obligation to Sam to be honest. “For me… dominance is arousing. The control is arousing. Always has been, in the same way that giving up control is arousing for you.”

“I know, Sir.” There was a bit of a ‘well, duh’ tone to Sam’s voice, but Alan let it slide.

“When your dad and I were together, when I was younger, it was a much bigger part of who I was and what I wanted. I was… I was a novice, and I was selfish, and it was enough for me just to get off on the power. But I grew up, and I learned things about what makes a good Dom, and eventually I… With you…” An unexpected lump formed in Alan’s throat, and he swallowed around it to keep his composure. “What we have, Sam… living with you like this, loving you this way… I never had this with your father. I’ve never—never had this with anyone, really. This is what a Dom searches for in the perfect submissive – someone who shares his opinions, his kinks, his values… someone he can be in the lifestyle with, but also… someone he can love.”

“Thank you, Master.”

Alan’s brow creased. “For what?”

“For your honesty.” Sam rolled over onto his back and looked up at Alan, eyes sparkling.

Alan gave a small, closed-lip smile down at the boy beneath him and reached up with one hand to caress the side of Sam’s face. “You make me more proud and amazed every day, did you know that?”

Sam lowered his eyes at that. He was blushing a little – never could take direct compliments very well. Alan leaned down to kiss him and run a hand through his hair. It was soft under his fingers, the way Sam’s hair always was, the way _Sam_ always was, and Alan melted into that softness, giving in to it. For all of Sam’s hard edges, he could be so easy to mold. He’d only needed someone… someone to care enough to look into his dark corners and uncover his secrets. Alan felt blessed to be that person.

He stretched his body fully out over the younger man’s and gave a soft thrust, wanting Sam to feel his arousal. The non-verbal move allowed the boy to understand that they were not just making out, that Alan wanted this to go somewhere. He knew that if Sam was into it, he’d moan at the contact – throw his head back and start panting, maybe whimpering if he really wanted it.

Sam’s responses in turn would help Alan to judge where their morning would go. If Sam was responsive, Alan would continue to slowly build the fire, and eventually they’d have lovemaking sex. If Sam was needy, Alan would take an opposite approach, slow down, probably make him beg for it. If Sam wasn’t at all interested, then Alan would make a decision about what was more important in that moment – his own pleasure or Sam’s lack of desire. And if Sam wanted control of the situation, he’d safeword out, and Alan would respect that because as much as he liked playing with Sam, he liked caring for him even more. To be responsible for the boy’s pleasure within a preferred kink was one thing. To be responsible for his growth as a person was another; his safety a third; his care and contentment yet another. But Alan knew all of that. It made him a good Dom. It made him who he was.

To finally have found someone like this, to love Sam… that brought everything else full circle. It made Alan feel whole.


End file.
